Our Philosophy
Positive but realistic thinking underpins everything Genus Care does. We genuinely believe that all children are capable of good things, of being inherently good. To put this into practice every day takes hard work and dedication, knowledge and perseverance, patience and faith. Genus Care, from the top down, are optimistic yet realistic in what we see in our children and what we expect from them.
We know that staff in other children's homes often treat children in a particular way, not because they think it's important, but simply because that was how they were treated when they were younger. We also know that this isn't always the right way for children in care- it's not enough. At Genus Care we recognise that children in care need more than this and we'll give it to them. We will not set them up to fail, neither will we accept the often present cycle of apathy and failure.What we do is:
- Place enormous emphasis on the individual relationships that the children will have with those around them; carers, manager and teachers, and we work incredibly hard to ensure they are correct, trusting, respectful and genuine relationships.
- Go the extra mile; stay in touch with those who have moved on, involving the children in our lives and ensuring they are really, genuinely valued and part of something real.
- Treat them as real people, not commodities.
- Do the simple things very, very well.
- Use 'It's My Life' with each of the young people in a thoughtful, helpful and relevant way.
- Push children daily to reach or get close to their potential, to be better versions of themselved
- Promote, measure and work on vital yet often overlooked skills such as resilience, independence, responsibility and empowerment
Our staff team use person centred behaviour management strategies focusing on the avoidance of confrontation and the use of consistent, risk assessed planned interventions. These approaches focus on the reduction of triggers and recognising and responding to cues- which is essentially being extremely thoughtful and child aware.We also focus on the management of positive behaviour just as much as behaviour that is challenging and difficult.
At Genus Care we constantly check that we are keeping the right balance between hopes and dreams, rights and responsibilities. We want the young people to focus on negotiation, not winning or losing. We want them to express themselves assertively but keep their cool, to have fun but learn not to go over the top, to see the value of education and not dismiss or ignore their own potential. We hope the pride and respect we have for their home is reflected in the children's own attitude to where they live- after all it is their home! We want the children to learn to believe in themselves whilst recognising and valuing their own emotional needs. We believe all children can, and will, grow with us.
